The importance of backing up in the Cloud

The limitations of backups in some Cloud-based applications such as Microsoft Office 365 have made some organisations a bit uncomfortable of late.

This is despite the fact that, theoretically, the risk of data loss through human error has been reduced enormously via automation and security.

However, in light of recent issues, many customers continue to invest in additional protection by signing up to one of the available Office 365 backup services.

Ensuring your data is properly backed up is crucial in these days of phishing, Ransomware, cyber and malware attack, and Internet outages.

In the US recently, Amazon Web Services’ S3 cloud storage crashed – causing chaos among many of its dependent sites.

In Australia too, the collapse of Telstra Internet and phone services – not once but twice through outages in the past year or so – has again proved the value of backing up.

Cloud backup involves the invisible storage of information – such as emails, files, folders, documents, records and photos on an Internet server.

And one of the big advantages of Cloud data storage is you can access your data from any device and location with an Internet connection.

Also there are no worries about space limitations – such as those you might experience with an external hard drive or flash drive, for example.

However, although Cloud storage is convenient and affordable, it is essential you do your homework on the security of the company offering the storage.

For example, it must have the capability of encrypting the data to protect unauthorised users from accessing and reading the information.

There are some good Cloud-based storage companies out there that not only store your data, but automatically back it up as well.

Some of the best known plans include Crashplan , Backblaze, Spideroak and iDrive – and they all use a high degree of encryption to protect the data they store.

Of course, backing up your data is pointless unless you also have a rapid and reliable method of recovering and restoring the data.

A good Cloud backup and recovery solution instantly restores your data -regardless of your location or data type.

By working with a secure, managed service provider, you can also establish the necessary ‘Recovery Time Objectives’ and ‘Recovery Point Objectives’ to match your business requirements.

Once you have selected your backup schedule, your company data is saved automatically – providing a simple and unobtrusive solution to your storage and back up needs.

This also takes away any operational and administrative headaches that might be involved with data backup – allowing your business to concentrate on more pressing challenges.

Some further advantages of Cloud-based backup over traditional means include:

Lower costs

Compared to the purchase and maintenance of tape backup systems, Cloud backup is much cheaper as it is designed to integrate with your existing IT environment – meaning no expensive hardware is required.

Faster recovery

Cloud backup service providers give you access to your data from anywhere through an easy-to-use Web-based interface. This means data recovery is instant; compared with traditional methods, which can take days.

Better security

Cloud backup is more secure than on-site backups, as all data is encrypted during backup and storage.

Improved time management

Cloud backup is much simpler than traditional methods – thus freeing up IT staff to concentrate on other more productive tasks.

Safer storage

Because backup service providers employ multiple data centres, there is greater built-in redundancy and less chance of your data being lost due to server failure.

With Mike Peeters Media